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Exsterno Exsterno is an ancient sprawling continent with variegated climate and terrain, home to a wide number of creatures such as humans, elves , dwarves , orcs , goblins , dragons , dragonborn , kobolds , and other aberrant creatures . Several of the races inhabiting Exsterno, including humans, elves, dragons and the Astral, were not native to the land, having migrated to Exsterno in centuries past. Exsterno Terrain The terrain of Exsterno varies. The White Irons, in the north, is a region that is mountainous and almost entirly icebound with exception to large fields of permafrost. The Ashlands, in the south are dominated by volcanic lavafields, scrubland, fertile swaths of farmland, while the southeastern areas of the terrain is dominated by a massive desert known as the Scablands. Sterling Fields, at the heart of Exsterno, is heavily forested and home to rich riverbeds, grassy fields and hills, an unnaturally cold region known as the Everfrost, and patches of swampland. The Kinglands in the western areas are primarly flat grassland and dominated by oat and wheat fields. the Tira Plains in southwestern Exsterno is almost all flat grassland and deep grassy valleys surrounded by rocky shoreline. Provinces *The White Irons - This northern, snow-covered, and mountainous region contain some of the tallest mountains in all of Exsterno. It is comprised mainly of icy tundra, snow-ridden mountains terrain and cavernous ice fields. The White Irons are home to Frost Trolls, Snow Goblins, and Ice Foxxyns. However the White Irons still have a sizable population of Humans, Dwarves, Orcs, and Ogres. The White Irons are less urbanized than the rest of Exsterno, but the largest of cities, Burdina, does have sizable population. This realm is lorded over by the Silverforts. *The Ashlands - This province is located in the southern section of Exsterno. It has one of the largest mountains in all of Exsterno, Mount Yogan from which lava flows and helped craft the extensive tracts of lavafields, wind sculpted obsidian, and heavily eroded, uncultivable land with little vegetation. It is home to Fire Goblins, Ash Foxxyns, and a large population of Dark Elves and humans. This realm is lorded over by the Kilcrests. *The Scablands - This province is located in the southeastern region and extends deep into the continent. It is mostly arid desert and rocky badlands with a few oases serving as beacons of light and settled areas. The ruins of the Scablands rise from the sand by one blast of the unbounded wind and are covered by the next. Nothing in the desert lasts, but nothing dies forever. All the principalities and boundaries the nations have placed on the land dissolve under the moving sand, and few inhabitants can say where they are in the desert. It is home to Desert Goblins, Desert Trolls, Dust Foxxyns, and Drow. This realm is lorded over by the Moorcastles. *Sterling Fields - This province is mostly an expanse of forest and mountains. At its heart is the Jormur Valley, a vast plain enclosed by equatorial rain forests and the mysterious mountain range known as the Everfrost. Many rivers flow through this area, and as one ventures further south, the land slowly becomes increasingly sub-tropical. Sterling Fields is referred to in much of Exsterno as the Heartlands. It is home to Hearth Foxxyns, Swamp Goblins, Horned Trolls as well as a large population of Humans, Orcs, and the highest concentration of Ogres in all of Exsterno. It is ruled over by the Eightfist under the guidance of High Lord Gulveig Silverfist. *The Kinglands - This province is located on the western coast and extends deep into the mainland. It is mostly prairies and hilly grasslands though there are also several large uninhabited forest wilderness. The coasts are dominated by mangrove swamps and tropical rain forests, while heavy rainfalls nurture the temperate inland rain forests. The Kinglands are home to Goblins, Grassland Trolls, Grassland Foxxyns, and Wood Elves. This realm is lorded over by the Fallfays. *Tira Plains - This province in the south-western region of Exsterno is mostly covered in prairies and open areas covered with used largly for grazing, however there remain few scattered sections of cool forests, lakes, and valleys. the Tira Plains are home to Sea Foxxyns, Grassland Goblins, Hill Trolls, and High Elves. Tira Plains is lorded over by the Bywells. *All of these provinces are lorded over by the Aurora High King in conjecture with the ruling families as part of the Council of Five . Locations Exsterno Locations Races Creatures List of Monsters Characters List of Characters Player Handbook 1 Items History The Fall of Dragons Everything changed in the land after “The Fall of Dragons” in 0 AD—ab draconis, literally "after dragons"— when hundreds of fiery dragon eggs rained from the sky and landed all across the landmass—many hatched and dragon-kind of varying temperaments were unleashed upon Exsterno while others lay dormant to this day. The Astral Advent Following the Fall of Dragons came the arrival of an advanced race of beings known as the Astral in 10 AD culminating in the “Astral Advent”. Soon after a human by the name of Mauric Aurora garnered military support and fought a war with the Sanctae for 15 years (12 AD – 27 AD) eventually driving them underground where they cut out a niche and lived in relative peace. The Aurora Conquest Using the momentum of the war and in search of dragons with which to feed his addiction to Dragonblood Sklug he marched his army for 22 years (29 AD – 51 AD) and conquered the entire continent of Exsterno. In his quest he built up a large fortune by sacking cities and forcing them into the empire, as well as capture a dragon named Urrea which was being held captive by Orcs in Graaten (Now Ironlea) and finally unearthing two dormant dragon eggs—one in the Ashlands and one near what is now Moonhold. After his conquest Mauric founded the Gilded City located in the Kinglands as the Capital of Externo in 52 AD. Mauric Aurora died at the age of 77 (57 AD)—his goblet of wine spilled in his lap and a shard of Dragonblood stabbed into his neck. On the night of his death the two dragon eggs disappeared from their underground vault. And Urrea was gone from his chamber. Mauric was seceded by his son Valkane. The Reign of Valkane Aurora Valkane first actions as the king were to reaffirm the empire. He started by founding Westheart (later renamed Valkane) to gain further footing into the Kinglands. He then changed the name of the Gilded City to Urrea in order to shed the connotation that he held the Kinglands in higher esteem than the other realms and replace it with the symbol of the dragon in order to gain respect from supporters and strike fear into the members of dissent and insurgence. His next action was the foundation of the Council of Five-a group dedicated to upholding order in each of the realms. Valkane gave each of his closest friends lordship over these realms and in turn gave himself the title of High King. The Council of Five’s founding members were; Derrick Bywell—a High Elf and Lord of the Tira Plains, Ien Fallfay—a Wood Elf and Lord of the Kinglands, Aera Moorcastle—a Drow and Lady of the Scablands, Garret Silverfort—a Human and Lord of the White Irons, and finally Clay Kilcrest—a Human and Lord of the Ashlands. Valkane had three children with his wife Arya. He had two sons, Klee and Frieman, and one daughter, Iola. Valkane died at the age of 68 in 93 AD and was seceded by his son Klee. A Gift to the Orcs During the reign of Klee Aurora he made a treaty with the Orcs that gifted them with land which they used to found the cities of Relyt and Draken. Klee never married even to his death at the age of 81 in 147 AD. He was seceded by his brother Frieman. The Astral Treaty of 151 AD Frieman Aurora ruled Exsterno for 12 years peacefully. During his reign Frieman signed the Astral Treaty of 151—a treaty with the Sanctae allowing them to trade their goods above ground. Astral merchants brought Sanctae goods, including armor, weapons, technology and synthesized Sklug—a manufactured chemical component similar in potency to Dragonblood— from their underground factories and sold them all across Exsterno for a good profit. The Anti-Sklug Edict of 152 AD In 152 AD, Sklug import was 200 chests and its use was growing wildly out of control. The first Aurora anti-Sklug edict was issued in 152 AD, enacting severe penalties on the sale of Sklug shards and the opening of Sklug-smoking divans. Frieman had a son named Areth in 112 AD. Frieman died at the age of 72 in 159 AD and was seceded by his son Areth. The Orcsblood Sklug Scandal Areth Aurora’s reign is one of bittersweet accomplishments and scandal. He is known for his exploitation and slaving of Orc adults in order to formulate Orcsblood Sklug a crude mixture of Orc blood and Aether crystallized in iron vats. Orcsblood Sklug is the cheapest, lowest quality and most bitter to smoke. This derivative form of Sklug affects it user by making them blissful followed by a stint of depression—it also greatly shortens the lifespan of the consumer. Areth went so far as to hire mercenaries in order to kidnap Orc children and newborns from their parents and bring them to a series of underground dungeons he had built in order to manufacture the narcotic. When the public discovered of his treatment of the Orcs and his labyrinth of secret Sklug dungeons he went into his chambers and killed himself at the age of 76 in 188 AD with his Legendary Shadow Blade of Flame named Umbrik (later renamed Areth’s Bane) Areth had one set of fraternal twins; Routh and Arianna and another daughter Jamie. Areth was seceded by his son Routh. The Orcsblood Reparations Routh Aurora had the difficult task of repairing relations with the Orcs and other unhappy members of the empire and so he decided to gift further land to the Orcs—which they used to found the villages of Dakef, Anit, Ilex, and Ecklane. He also paid 14 platinum ingots to each of the surviving Orc slaves and captured as many of the dungeon operators as possible and put them all to death. Finally he wrote a book which detailed his sorrow and apologized on behalf of his perturbed father and asked for forgiveness promising to better the land based on merit and peace and not their labor and pain. by 212 AD Synthetic Sklug import amounted to over 4,000 chests (256 tons) annually. In response Routh put out a second Anti-Sklug Edict with even stricter penalties in 219 AD followed by a third in 223 AD with the goal of ending the Sklug trade once and for all but Sklug synthesis and importation continued to increase. Routh had two daughters, Gabriel and Ruth, and one son, Rael. Routh died at the age of 74 in 233 AD and was seceded by his son Rael. The First Sklug War Rael Aurora had two sons, Reoul and Terran, and three daughters, Devan, Andra, and Cassia. He continued his father’s quest to end the Sklug Trade. With the drain of silver in order to capture and jail Sklug-runners and the growing number of the people becoming victims of the drug despite this effort, the High King Rael Aurora demanded action. Officials at the court, who advocated legalization of the trade in order to tax it, were defeated by those who advocated suppression. So, In 261 AD, Rael sent Dalir Fallfay to Crystal Gorge where he quickly arrested Astral Sklug dealers and summarily demanded that Sanctae firms turn over their stocks. When they refused, Dalir stopped trade altogether and placed the Sanctae residents under virtual siege, eventually forcing the merchants to surrender their Sklug shards to be destroyed. In response, the Astral Union sent expeditionary forces led by Xiuq, a strong mercenary and former scholar, which ravaged the Kinglands coast from 262 AD to 264 AD ending when the Aurora palace was overrun and Rael Aurora was killed at the age of 58 in 264 AD and was seceded by his son Reoul. The Second Sklug War Reoul Aurora then became High King and ruled from Wolfkeep. Xiuq proclaimed himself the Astral King and ruled over the Kinglands from his palace with his concubines while the people of the land fled or stayed and lived in poverty. In 279, after years of gathering aid and building his army up once more, Reoul launched the Second Sklug War and for four years reclaimed lost lands. The war ended when the Aurora army dug tunnels under Urrea and blew up the walls. Then Xiuq and his followers were massacred at their height with the annual import of Sklug now at 70,000 chests (4,480 tons). After the Second Sklug War, the Astral Union and the Aurora Empire met at Fallfay and dictated the terms of settlement. The Treaty of Fallfay not only made further Sklug trade illegal, but also had the Astral Union renounce all claims on Aurora territory, unilaterally fixed tariffs at a low rate, and offered the Sanctae a seat at the Council of Five which the Astral Union refused. Reoul had two sons in his lifetime, Markus and Jareth. Reoul died at the age of 85 in 327 AD and was seceded by his son Markus. The Reign of Markus Aurora Markus rule was met with high approval ratings though his armies were constantly attacked and raided by rebels led by an extremist Sanctae group known as the Sklug Thugs whose aim was to pressure the kingdom into lifting the ban on Sklug they gathered support by offering members free Sklug and the promise to one day gain control of a dragon in order to produce vats of Dragonsblood Sklug. Markus went and contracted a group of highly skilled Mercenaries known as the Nightflame Assassins and promised them 250 Platinum ingots and 3 satchels of gemstones in order to destroy the Sklug Thugs. It was only a few months later that the Sklug Thugs operations had been infiltrated and all members of the gang had been found with Nightflame arrows buried in their hearts. Markus Aurora had one son Rellan and one daughter Ariel. Markus died at the age of 78 in 340 AD and was seceded by his son Rellan. The Expansion of the Aurora Empire Rellan Aurora’s reign is marked by his desire to expand the Aurora Empire further and with more power in the realms. he began this with a major enlisting of more soldiers to his army and the construction of several fortresses and castles across the land as well as underground armories and dungeons, stockades and plantations reportedly spending nearly 10000 platinum ingots on the project summarily flooding the economy with stockpiled Aurora funds. Many living near the Everfrost mountains—having avoided major conflict and living relatively untouched by the Empire grew uneasy with this expansion and the enlistment of their sons and daughters in the Aurora armies planting the seed that would soon grow into a large schism between the empire and the so called “Sterling People”. Soon a man by the name of Gulveig Silverfist rose his gauntlet and with an army to his back in support led a conquest against the Empire to reclaim the Everfrost. The first Battle of which occurred at Fallensnow (later renamed Deathbell). Silverfist won the battle and gathered even more support when many of the Empire’s forces joined his cause—the remaining twelve Empire soldiers were put to death. Now every time the tower bell strikes noon it is a moment to reflect on these deaths and wish these fallen foes harmony despite their actions. Silverfist then forged an alliance with Goblintooth which was one of the larger armed outposts constructed by Rellan and was a major blow to the Empire. with this new aid Silverfist’s army marched and captured Mosscrown away from the Empire before gaining even more aid and support through an alliance with Lycalopex—a Foxxyn village. Rellan Aurora had one son Rol. Rellan died at the age of 83 in 378 AD and was seceded by Rol. The Everfrost Revolt Rol Aurora became High King in the midst of the Revolt and was left defenseless as his vaults were diminished and more and more of his army joined the opposing side, caught up in Silverfist’s charm and wild spirit. Silverfist gathered even more Foxxyn aid from Foa and then marched on Starhold where they experienced their first defeat though Rol had no involvement and was in fact shocked by the victory. Undeterred The Sterling Army, as it was now known, swept Skulkfang-another Foxxyn village-to their side. Followed by an appeal at Crystalmill to gain their aid which they did not receive though they were granted access to all surrounding lands except for Crystalmill’s city limits which they accepted. The Sterling Army captured Black Acre ( and met with leaders at Whitecourt for their support but were instead escorted from the city. A similar event occurred in Wildeholt only months later followed by another defeat when a raid on Deepton failed. Rol decided that this was a good time to finally defeat the rebels and so he sent his army to capture Goblintooth. The Battle at Goblintooth lasted weeks when finally the Sterling Army drove the Aurora Army back. The news of the defeat came on the heels of the birth of Rol’s first son Kylerion and greatly soured the event. After this battle Gulveig was invited toSplinterfang where its leader Orcun Leaftail lent his support of the war effort and helping the Sterling Army gather mages to their front lines in order to repel and conjure large scale attacks. In 389 AD Silverfist’s Army launched an attack on Nightflicker one of the remaining Aurora sympathizers in the Everfrost region. in only one week’s time the Sterling Army had driven the Nightflame Assassins from their beds and began occupying the city. The birth of Rol’s second son, Eldon, was soured by this news who then spent a hefty sum to both the Nightflame Assassins as well as a half-fiend warlord by the name of Ilroth Rakon to end this war. The Nightflame Assassins immediately drove Silverfist’s soldiers from Nightflicker and made no further action in order to end the war effort. Enraged Rol sent a large garrison of his personal troops to pressure the Assassins to continue advancing on the Sterling warfront. The Nightflame Assassins in response sent 545 crates back to Urrea-one for every soldier Rol sent. Ilroth meanwhile with his fiery wings quickly killed many of the Sterling forces camped at both Foa (392 AD) and Splinterfang (393 AD) even capturing Orcun in a Vedalken Cage and bringing him with him as his personal “pet”. In 394 AD the Sterling Army attacked Jareth but Ilroth easily defeated them causing them to flee back to Gulveig’s hometown of Boodfrost. Silverfist consolidated his army and supplies there and waited even as Aurora forces reclaimed their territories. Finally in 396 AD came Ilroth brandishing the Sword of Kas , with Aurora forces at his back. Ilroth launched the attack flying into the center of town where Gulveig Silverfist stood waiting surrounded by seven others-each of them only wearing a burlap tunic. The town was deserted other than these eight figures and Ilroth now. Only Ilroth and the other eight truly know what happened during the battle within the city walls though it was described later as including loud roaring noises and bright explosions of light in the sky. Ilroth was killed in the fray while the many of the Sterling Army had donned their old Aurora armor and infiltrated the approaching army. while others waited until the army was at the gates to climb from within a hidden ice cavern and attack from behind. The Aurora Army was outmatched and many surrendered. The Birth of Sterling Fields A month later Rol surrendered and was escorted to the gates of Bloodfrost where he signed a Truce with Gulveig Silverfist gifting The Sterling Realm with all previously conquered land and no further attacks from the Aurora Empire. Rol returned to Urrea his vaults nearly empty and clusters of dissent throughout the kingdom and so he entered into yet another illicit agreement, this time with a notorious drug lord and gang leader by the name of Boronte of Valkane. This allowed him a monopoly on Sklug in return for 10% of the profits and aid in ending further uprisings. Boronte agreed and the contract remains in effect to this day. Ilroth’s Legacy Before Ilroth’s death in 396 AD, he and his human wife Ashley had two children; one son named Eli and one daughter named Rakon. At the time of Ilroth’s death, Eli was 22 and Rakon was 14. Eli, his mother and his younger sister went into hiding to protect themselves from hostile outsiders and extremists—using illusion spells in order to blend in and hide their more distinctive features. Then they moved to Splinterfang, where Eli spent time working at both the Highstone Archives and the Silver Forge—while Rakon was enrolled in the Highstone Academy of Arcane Enchanting. Eli—eight years Rakon’s senior—had a brilliant mind and studied ancient texts extensively as well as creating innovative new weapons and enchantments at the Silver Forge. At the age of twenty five—after cross referencing his father’s journal and a few texts about demonic bloodlines he learned that his grandfather was a powerful demon by the name of Marax. Meanwhile, Rakon was a brilliant student but showed signs of corruption. Orcun was never fooled by the illusion spell and knew exactly who Rakon was, however despite his own past with her father decided to give her an equal chance and simply watched her actions closely, never trusting her despite the praise she received from others. One day Rakon read her older brother’s notes and learned of her powerful demonic ancestry. She had always craved to have her father back in her life and now knew that if she ever found her grandfather that he could aid her to resurrect her father’s fallen soul from the Veil of Volitonox. She began researching the few mentions of Infernal runes and Shadow magic mentioned in the tomes from the Highstone Archives and in doing so unlocked latent magic that she was able to command with the blood in her veins. One of these tomes mentioned an ancient relic located at the top of Highstone Citadel that could create powerful artifacts that acted as lenses to focus a sorcerer’s soul and amplify their abilities. Taking this into account, she began testing her abilities as she planned the logistics required in order to raise her father from the dead. Orcun discovered Rakon with a small tawny rabbit; controlling its limbs with incantations and bending its mind, its eyes devoid of life, blood dripping from its nose. Orcun immediately cast Rakon out of the Highstone Academy immediately and informed Eli and Ashley that he knew of their ties to Ilroth and of Rakon’s recent activities. Rakon and Eli became enraptured in a fight which only ended when Eli dragged her kicking and screaming to her room and magically sealed her inside. In the dead of night Rakon grew furious and unconfined a massive grey psychic explosion—destroying one of her walls she escaped into the street and headed towards the Academy. She clambered to the top of Highstone Citadel and sliced her flesh and pooled her blood into the Arcane Basin. The blood blackened and congealed a flash of violet exploded atop the portico and a polished multi-faceted black stone remained. She lifted it from within the basin. A thundercloud brewed all around her and she fled into the darkened forest. Eli armed himself and tracked the thunderstorm until he came to a long ruined castle. The tall iron door was already twisted ajar and so he let himself in. he traveled throughout the corridors until he came across a room with crimson light bleeding out into the hallway from within. He burst open the door and watched as a massive horned figure with a red hide and wearing only a large loin cloth clawed his way out from within the floor. He loomed over Rakon’s unmoving body. Marax spoke in darkened guttural tones “Hello grandson, what are your intentions—have you come to meet your grandfather, or is it something else you seek?” Eli drew his twin legendary shadow weapons—Donner and Blitzen and attacked immediately, bolts of lightning arced across the room and struck Marax who stumbled backwards towards the churning portal from which he arrived. Eli ran across the stone floor and Marax struck him. He went sailing through the air and crashed into a wall. Eli sent forth yet another blitz of electricity but Marax brushed it off easily and grabbed Eli in one hand, pressing his thumb into Eli’s ribs forcing the air from his lungs then he dropped Eli into the portal. With Eli’s last shreds of energy he cast a simple entity reversal enchantment on himself. Marax upon looking upon Eli triggered the trap and the magic went to work immediately phasing Eli from his point in space and transferring it to where Marax was and vice versa. Eli cast a complex binding trap and collapsed against a wall and fell into a deep sleep. When Eli awoke Rakon’s body was no longer there and a deep echoing voice called from within the shimmering portal asking to be “unbound in return for mercy”. Eli simply sprinted from within the Fortress in order to search for his sister—he never found her and eventually returned to Splinterfang to his mother. He later married Sheira—a travelling merchant’s daughter—and had a son, Embry, in 400 AD. Then Eli’s mother, Ashley, died in 404 AD. Category:Browse